masha glitters under the miami lights

Maria Sharapova beat Czech Petra Martic in her opening round of play at the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne. Her 6-3, 6-2 victory was also the debut for her new Nike outfit, the Cross Court Statement. It’s refreshing to see Nike go back to using a more sophisticated trim, with gold lines criss-crossing across the front and back of the dress. (Does anyone even remember Roger‘s gilded Wimbledon shirts?). Note that her shoes also had blue/gold detail.

Speaking of throwbacks, this was Maria’s first time playing the Miami tour stop in three years. “This is one of my favorite events,” she shared with Tennis Panorama. “It’s crazy that I’ve missed it this many years because of injuries. So I’m just so happy to get back on that court today and just I love playing in front of the crowd. They’re so enthusiastic. They love their sports and have that Latin flavor about them. You know, it’s fun.” She next plays Sabine Lisicki. (Draw:Sony Ericsson Open)